Ram-way-crossing signal



No. 'a|s,597. Paf'entedmv. Issa I n; M PAYNE.

IAILWAY CROSSING SIGNAL.

(Application tiled June 23, 1898.)

(No Model.)

VSheter-Slheet I.

No. 6|3,597. Patented Nov. I, |898.

R. M. PAYNE. RAILWAY GRUSSING SIGNAL.

(Applicationmed June 2a, 189s.) (No` Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

FIG

No. 6|3,597. Patented Nov. l, |393.v

n. M. PAYNE.

RAILWAY cnossma SIGNAL.

(Application filed June 23, 1898.)

(No Model.)

3. Sheets-Sheet 3.

UNrrn STATES ATENT Fries.

RAILWAY-CROSSING SIG NAL.

SPEGIFICA TION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,597, dated November 1, 1898.

Application filed June 23,1898. Serial No. 684,275. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, ROBERT M. PAYNE,a citizen of the United States, residing at Winchester,in the county of Franklin and State of Tennessee,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway- Jrossing Signals; and I do hereby'declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a railway-crossing signal.

The object of the invention is to provide a plurality of signals at a crossing, so that all of the signals will give warning of the approach of a train of cars. By multiplying the signals a greater degree of security is obtained than would otherwise be the case.

This invention contemplates mechanism or 'apparatus whereby a moving train is caused to release a motor to ring a bell or produce a sound-signal and operate a movable or sight signal. It also contemplates mechanism or devices whereby a steam or other whistle on board the train is tripped into operation as it moves along the track.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of instrumentalities for automatically'ringing a bell at a railroadcrossing before and during the passage of a train, for automatically winding up or setting the motor for ringing the bell, for automatically tripping or throwing a steam or other like whistle into operation, and for automatically cutting off or stopping the same, and also for operating a revolving disk or other like sight-signal.

- My invention is adapted to be operated by trains passing in either direction on a single track, as well as for operation by a train passing in either direction at the crossing of railroad-tracks.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevation of my improved apparatus arranged along the 'side and adjacent to the track of a railroad,

the central part: of which is also arranged near the roadway which crosses the railroadtrack, the ground or foundation being shown in section to illustrate the drive or road way and also to illustrate a track arranged at right angles to the primary track. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the central tower or structure,show ing the mechanism or motor for operating the bell and sight-signal. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, showing the lower part of the mechanism in plan. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2, showing the tripping mechanism or means for releasing or throwing the motor into operation. Fig. 5 is a broken plan or top View of a track, showing a portion of the engine, tender, and cab of a railroad-train, showing tripping appendages connected therewith. Fig. 6 is a detail showing the tripping-lever for opening the whistle-valve. Fig. 7 is a perspective of the friction-board attached to the side of the tender for winding up or setting the motor in operative position, the friction-board carrying a riser with projection for operating the lever which trips and releases the motor for ringing the bell. Fig. 8 is a section of a casing or housing for the operating-weight. Fig. 9 is a perspective showing the upper end 0f an upright or pillar carrying a trippinglever for releasing the motor and also carrying a movable obstruction for tripping the whistle-valve-operating lever. Fig. l0 is a perspective of the pillar and the bracket shown in Fig. 9 with the tripping-lever and movable obstruction removed. Fig. 1l is a perspective showing the rear side of the movable obstruction. Fig. 12 is a rear elevation of the sight-signal with its pawl for engaging said signal with its shaft.

lis the base of the central tower. This tower is conveniently constructed of gas-pipe or like tubular pillars or uprights 2 2 and tierods orsupports 3 3. Mounted nearthe base of the tower is a horizontal rotary shaft 4, which for convenience I call the motorshaft. This shaft is supported in bearings carried by thwarts 5 5, said thwarts being connected with sleeves 6 6, embracing the pillars, the sleeves being yieldingly supported by springs 7 7. To the outer end of this shaft and adjacent to the railway-track is connected a roller orpulley 8, which serves, through the medium of the motor-shaft, to wind up a weight or other motor-power 9. This roller is operated by means of a friction-board connected with the train. The object of having the shaft yieldingly supported, as described, is to pro- Ico vide for inequalities or variations in the height of the friction-board on the train and to obviate the danger of straining or injuring the shaft and its connected mechanism.

.There is also mounted on this shaft an eccentric or crank 10, with which is coupled a connecting-rod 11, attached to a rock-shaft 12, carrying an alarm-bell 13, hung in the upper part of the tower.

14 is a counter-shaft mounted at the top of the tower, carrying a pulley or sprocket-pinion 15, around which is led from a drum 16 on the motor-shaft the chain or cord 17, to the extremity of which the weight 9 is attached. There is also loosely mounted upon the counter-shaft 14 a sight-signal consisting of a disk 1S, the face side of which is divided into segments or blocks having different colors-as, for example, red, white, and blue. The disk 1S carries a spring-pawl 19, which engages a ratchet 20, connected with the counter-shaft 14, and is thereby caused to rotate with" the shaft when the motor is in active operation, and being loose on the shaft the disk will continue to revolve about the same for a period after the shaft has stopped or while it is being turned to wind up or set the motor into operative position. The countershaft 14 carries a small pinion 21, which engages a gear-wheel 22, mounted on a shaft 23, directly above the counter-shaft 14. Ad ja cent to the gear-wheel on the shaft 23 is a cam-disk provided with a shoulder 24, which is engaged by a pawl or stop 25, connected to a rock-shaft 26, which carries an arm or lever 27. Coupled with the pawl 25 is an arm 25, carried by a rock-shaft 2G, with which is connected an arm 27". To the outer extremities of the arms 27 and 27 are connectedwires or cords 28, which extend in opposite directions two hundred yards, more or less, along the line of the railroad-track to trip-levers 29, pivotally connected with uprights or pillars 30. The trip-levers 29 are jointed, so that they will be operated by a projection on the moving train when said train is moving in one direction and will not be affected when the train moves in the other direction-that is to say, the arrangement is such that when a train is approaching the crossing the lever 29 will be operated, and through the cord or wire 2S the arm 27 or the arm 27 will be vibrated and the pawl 25 will be removed from the shoulder 24, whereupon the weight will drop, thereby rotating shaft 4 and through it reciprocating the pitman 1l, ringing the bell. It also rotates counter-shaft 14, and thereby revolves the disk or sight-signal 1S.

It should be observed that the sprocketpinion 15, the pinion 21, and the gear-wheel 22 should be of such relative dimensions that the shaft 23, carrying the shouldered disk, will make one complete revolution while the weight or motor is ruiming down. Mounted on the extremity of a bracket at the top of the pillars 30 are oscillating or movable obstructions 31, adapted to engage levers 32,

connected with the cab of a train, when the train is going in one direction and to be shifted or vibrated out of the range of said lever when the train is going in the other direction. \Vhen the lever is tripped or swung by the movable obstruction, it is engaged by a shoulder and held in said position until the same is released by means of a disk or camsurface 34, mounted on the central tower and shown in Fig. 1. The lever 32 has connected with its inner extremity a cord or chain 35, leading around a guide-pulley to the arm of a whistle-valve 36. It will thus be seen that the whistle-valve will be automatically opened by oneof the movable obstructions 3l and held open by means of the shoulder until the train has reached the crossing, when it will be released by means of the cam-surface or rotary disk 34 at the central tower. Connected with the engine-tender or other part of the train is a friction board or fiange 37. This friction-board extends laterally from the tender, so as to engage the roller or pulley S, connected with the motor-shaft 4, and has the function of winding up or setting the motor into condition to operate the bell and the sight-signal whenever the same is tripped or released by an approaching train. This friction-board carries a riser 3S, upon which is adjustably mounted a projection or arm 39, arranged in a plane to engage the pendent arm of tripping-lever 29. The cam-surface or rotary disk 34 is carried by a support which is made vertically adj ustable on the pillars 2 2, the capacity of the adjustment being for the purpose of ixin g the disk at the proper height for the projecting arm 82 after the tower' has been erected.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a connection with the motor-shaft 4 such that cars moving either wayon either one of two tracks crossing each other will operate the motor and the si gnals for the road-crossing, as hereinbefore described.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a casing 40, which provides a way or well in which the weight 9 is operated. At the upper end of the casing I provide a spring-buffer 41 to take up the impact of the weight when it is rapidly or violenti y drawn upward into operative position.

Obviously the tower may be inclosed or housed, or any part thereof may be housed in to protect the same from the elements, it being necessary only that the roller or pulley S projects out toward the track and that there be slots or apertures for the arms or levers 27 and 27 to swing in.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A railway-crossin g signal, involving the combination of a central tower, a motor-shaft supported in bearings in said tower, a winding roller or pulley connected with the eX- tremity of said shaft, a windlass-drum connected with said shaft, a counter-shaft having a pulley keyed thereto, a flexible connec- IOO IOS

IIO

tion leading from the drum around the pulley, a weight at the extremity of the `flexible connection, an eccentric or crank on the motorshaft, a bell, and a pitman extending from the crank to the bell.

2. A railway-crossing signal, involving the combination of a motor-shaft,a winding roller or pulley at the extremity of said shaft, a windlass-drum also connected with said shaft, a counter-shaft, a weight or motor-power operatively connected with the counter-shaft, connections between the motorshaft and counter-shaft for winding or storing up the motor-power, a party colored disk loosely mounted on the counter-shaft, and means for tripping or releasing the motor-power into operation, substantially as described.

3. A railway-crossing signal, involving the combination of a motor-shaft, a winding roller or pulley connected with one extremity of said shaft, a drum or windlass also connected with said shaft, a counter-shaft, a weight or motor-power connected with said countershaft, connections between the motor-shaft and counter-shaft for winding or storing up the motor-power, a party-colored disk loosely mounted on the counter-shaft, pawl or clutch mechanism for engaging the disk and shaft, when moving in one direction, an eccentric on the motor-shaft, a bell suitably mounted near the top of the tower, and a pitman or connecting-rod extending from eccentric to bell, substantially as described.

4. In a railway-crossing signal, the combination of a tower at the crossing, a verticallyadjustable disk or cam-surface connected with a motor, means for winding or throwing the motor power into operative position, and means for tripping or releasing the motor consisting of a pinion connected with the counter-shaft, a spur-Wheel intergearing with said pinion, a cam-disk provided with a shoulder, a pawl or detent connected with the rockshaft, an arm also connected with the rockshaft, a trip-lever arranged at a distance from the arm, and connection between the triplever and arm, substantially as described.

6. In arailWay-crossing, the combination of a motor, a shaft operated by said motor, and means for holding said motor in adjusted or operative position consisting of mechanism,as sprocket-pinion l5, pinion 21, gear-wheel 22 and disk having shoulder 24, of such relative dimensions that the motor will run down or eX- pend itself while the shouldered disk is Inaking one complete revolution, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' ROBERT lll. PAYNE.

Witnesses:

R. M. BARrHoLow, V. D. STOCKBRIDGE. 

